


The price of love

by erendriel



Category: Fantasy - Fandom
Genre: Character Death, Demons, Fantasy, Hell, Love, M/M, Melancholy, Short, Torture
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-07
Updated: 2019-03-07
Packaged: 2019-11-13 11:19:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,170
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18030737
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/erendriel/pseuds/erendriel
Summary: The price of love is high, especially when you are two demons in hell.





	The price of love

The price for love was a cell. A dark, dirty cell. It was not cold, however, it never was in a place like this, it was burning hot, any human that would come to the place would have their skin scorching away in an instant, as if they were hugging the sun. It was hell, and that isn’t a matter of speaking, it was literally hell.  
Asmodeus had been raised to be the most heartless demon anyone can think of, his purpose in life was to spread death, to strike fear into the hearts of anyone who dared cross his path, and to have an aura of blackness around him wherever he went. He was trained by the previous king of demons, and he was trained well. When they thought him good enough, it was his turn to train the others, to make them so void of emotion they would feel nothing even if everything came crashing down on them. Some were easy to break, they were willing to take a deep dive into the bath of evil, because they had always known they were destined for nothing good. They were demons, they weren’t going to defy their nature, who knows what would happen to them if they did. Hell was not quite a kind place, you wouldn’t get a pat on the back and a second chance if you messed up, you would be tortured until you were too afraid to make any mistakes ever again. Every demon that had crossed his path before had the ambition and the personality to be up to no good at all. They followed every one of Asmodeus’ orders, and they became so dark, humans would want to cry and vomit simply at the energy that surrounded them. There was one demon, however, who was different from the others. Not just personality wise, no. He was the child of a demon and an angel. The spawn of everything good and everything evil. His whole life he had lived in conflict. And it was now Asmodeus’ task to end that conflict and convince him to the side of all things evil. It was not his choice, it was his duty, so that he would not be the knife in Lucifer’s back. He was to teach him how to spread death, ruin, madness, despair, hysteria, and all things wrong with the world, simply because his place of residence was not heaven, no, it was hell. But the heart of the man was strong willed, he wanted to be good, desperately. He wanted to show the world love, and punish all things wrong with humanity and everything beyond. He had an evil side, of course. He couldn’t avoid that, being raised by demons. But his evil was closer to karma, to the punishment of those who deserve it. Murderers, rapists, abusers, all those who corrupted the planet that was once serene and beautiful. He felt in his soul that there was no way he could be the evil example they had all set for him. Asmodeus tried, he tried his very best. He had shouted at him, showed him all the wrongs and the disgust they all had towards humans. Their reasons to hate humanity, the tragedy of Lucifer’s fall, he even tried to tempt him with empty threats and promises. To no avail, the half-demon was not willing to turn his back on the light, even though he had never even caught a glimpse of it in his sad life. He had seen no light other than the constant burning of the hot flames that emitted eternal screams of the damned souls who had descended to hell after they messed up the chance they got on heaven. Asmodeus had been so close to giving up on him, to just toss him aside and let the others deal with him. But there was something so enigmatic about him, about his hope. About the mere fact that he was a being meant to be so dark, but had a soul nonetheless. And it was a good soul too. Asmodeus had never been good, and he wouldn’t lie about it either. He didn’t wish to be good, because he saw the rot of humanity, smelled the stench of their mistakes and their failings. He didn’t want to give them a chance, he wanted them all to serve the same fate as their leader, he wanted them to burn. Yet despite his views on the world, he had been tempted by the words of the half-demon. He had not only shared his mind with the demon, but he had shared his heart with him too. He knew it wasn’t allowed, he knew he really shouldn’t have. What he should do was just stay away from him. He wasn’t going to coöperate, so there was no use in keeping him around. But his heart had other plans, his heart wanted him, desperately. He didn’t know the feeling, and he thought the other demon was doing something to him, something incredibly bad. As if he was slowly seeping a poison into Asmodeus’ veins in an attempt to put him down. The demon got angry, he screamed at the other, demanding him to cease his sorcery and release him from his spell. But the other said he was doing nothing, he did not even possess such magic, he had no clue what the higher demon was speaking of. He requested Asmodeus would explain himself, tell him what it was exactly that he was feeling, and so he did. With reluctance, Asmodeus explained the sweet fever he was feeling, the twist of his stomach whenever he looked at the younger demon, the strange feeling in his chest that was driving him to a point of madness, to a point of insomnia, he didn’t rest anymore. His thoughts were cloudy, and he felt sick. The younger demon’s eyes seemed to light up with knowledge, he knew exactly what was going on, he knew the feeling Asmodeus was experiencing because he too felt the same, but he did not think of it as sickness, but rather a gift. Love.   
Asmodeus was shocked, he thought there was no way he could ever be loved or love someone, he just wasn’t the kind of man for that. In his life, he had never felt anything other than anger, repulsion, and a looming sense of melancholy. The need to get more out of his existence than he was getting in the dark pits of hell. The younger demon tried so hard to convince him his feelings were real, he tried to talk him down, to explain to him what it was, anything. But Asmodeus would not admit to anything, to any feeling other than repulsion. That was until the younger demon strided toward him and brought their lips together. A spark emitted between them, not literally, but so strong that it was almost real. If he had closed his eyes he would be able to feel it, but his eyes were wide in shock instead. He hadn’t expected it, and he certainly hadn’t expected the feeling it gave him. Something strange he had never felt before. It made the corners of his lips tug up and a warm feeling flooded his stomach. He backed away instinctively and fled the room. He was in panic, he hadn’t a clue what had just come over him, and he knew it was wrong. He knew it was not okay to have these feelings in a place like this. The only contact that was allowed in this place was that which was necessary for procreation. There was no love in it, there was merely the wish for yet another evil entity to spread their toxin onto the world.  
That night, he didn’t close his eyes once. Because every time he did, he would picture the younger demon again. His long hair, his enigmatic eyes, the curve of his lips, and the way he looked up at Asmodeus as if he wanted him to hold him and never let go. It was frightening, it was unknown. That night he cried. He did not want anyone to hear him, so most of the sobs escaped his throat with much struggle and very little sound. He wanted to scream, he wanted to ask what they wanted from him, why they were doing this to him, but all he could manage were broken sobs and the inescapable agony that filled his chest.   
He avoided the younger demon for a while after that, every time he felt the presence approach he would leave the room and return to his chambers. He wasn’t ready to face him, he wasn’t ready to feel that sweet sweet fever all over again, it was too much for him. But the younger demon obviously had different plans, when he caught the other fleeing from him once again, he followed him and tightly grasped his arm before he could slip away into his chambers again. Asmodeus freed himself and entered his room, but the other followed him and shut the door behind the two. He confronted him on their situation, he scolded him for not accepting his feelings. He told him he needed to embrace them, that there was obviously something going on between the two. And as much as he wanted to deny it all and tell the other he was being crazy. He couldn’t. Never had he ever displayed any weakness in front of anyone before, but in that moment he broke down into tears, he cried, and it wasn’t silently this time. The younger demon took Asmodeus into his arms, and with little struggle, the other stood limply, resting his head on the younger demon’s shoulder. He asked him why it hurt so much, he asked him to make it all stop. But the other shook his head and cupped the higher demon’s cheeks. He made him look into those beautiful eyes, and he connected their lips once again. The same spark could be felt between them, and in his vulnerability, he could not even find the strength to stop it this time. He melted into the kiss, he desperately held onto the other, and what followed would doom them forever.   
A bright light woke them up the next morning, their bodies were tangled together, but they quickly sprawled away from each other when they saw the angry face behind the bright torch. They looked at each other briefly and both tried to think of something to say, anything. But nothing came out. Another two figures entered the room as well and dragged the two out of Asmodeus’ bedchamber. They dragged the men to an even gloomier place, and they separated them to two ends of the room. Asmodeus had an important position, a job, a duty he had to fulfill. But the other was merely an apprentice, he was learning, he was nobody yet, easy to get rid of… Asmodeus couldn’t believe his eyes when they ended his existence right in front of him. Bright light emitted from the younger demon’s body as they pierced a blade through his heart. All the angelic light left his body, and after that a cloud of sulfur surrounded the corpse on the ground. Asmodeus was shaking. He felt a pain so strong he could not describe it in any words or actions. Tears spilled from his wide eyes rapidly as his gaze was glued onto the corpse and he couldn’t move a muscle. Minutes felt like hours, and after a long time of staring at the lifeless shell, he was dragged away to a cell and locked away. He felt empty as time passed and passed, nothing happened for days, weeks, months. No speaking, no sounds, no contact, nothing, until something did happen. After months they came into his cell and dragged him to a chamber he knew all too well, the chamber of punishment. He used to laugh at the demons that were brought in there, laugh at them for being so dumb as not to follow the very few rules they actually had. And now there he was, chained to the ceiling in a ragged piece of clothing he’d been wearing for the past months, and they hurt him. They tortured him. After days, he couldn’t cry anymore, after weeks, he couldn’t scream anymore, and after months he felt nothing anymore. He just took the beatings, the torture, the pain, all of it without so much of a flinch or a sound. His entire body was covered in scars, and he’d been tortured without an end in sight for a whole year to come. After they got bored with him, he spent another five years in a cell, before they repeated his torture all over again for another year. He’d become a shell of the demon he once was. There was nothing left anymore, no sympathy, no joy, nothing, only the constant wish for revenge. And revenge he would get...


End file.
